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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. ground — a position
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bound — certain
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bulb — for light
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bass — low music
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. bass — the fish
  18. plane — a tool
  19. press — to push
  20. ground — the earth
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bound — tied together
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bound — obliged

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com